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Sunday, February 23, 2014

30,000 B.C.: Fumigations were the first inhalers

It is probably true that the first inhalers were fumigations. And there's really no idea of knowing when the first fumigations occurred. It probably first happened by accident; someone tossing poisonous herbs into a fire, accidentally inhaling them, and realizing the enjoyable side effects.

After a while it was probably done on purpose with the intentions of relaxing and listening to visions sent during hallucinations from the gods or spirits. Medicine men may have experimented with small fires, and then large fires were made at night with the clan surrounding the fire. This may have occurred as far back as 30,000 B.C.

Egyptian scribes made the first recordings of fumigations with cyphiac. Cyphiac was, according to James Prosser in his 1884 book "Therapeutics of the Respiratory Passages,

"According to Dioscorides, a mixture of various drugs, and as the Egyptians had made great advances in the use of spices, balms, and other odorous medicines, it is probable that these entered largely into their cyphi. As soon as men began to use warm baths, indeed, as soon as they made water hot, they would become acquainted with its vapor, and probably notice the soothing effect of breathing steam, and endeavor to turn it to useful account." (1, page 276)

So early on in human history mankind had access to fumigations of smoke and steam.

While this may have originally been part of religious ceremonies, there came a time in the course of history, perhaps at some point in both Ancient Egypt, where it was realized that smoke was more useful for medicinal purposes when the herbs were placed on heated bricks and inhaled this way.

Sometime around the time of Jesus people in nations some nations learned how to control smoke by making crude pipes for inhaling herbs. So now people had use of several methods of inhaling medicines, including fumigations of smoke and steam, insents, pipes, and ultimately cigarettes.

The Ancient Greeks also describe fumigations, as Homer mentions them. And, much like the Egyptians learned to master smoke for medicinal purposes, the Greeks learned to master steam for medicinal purposes. Around 400 years after Homer, Hippocrates mentions an inhaler-like device of which I describe in detail in an upcoming post (post will be published within the next few weeks) .

When Greek wisdom made it's way to Rome, this wisdom traveled with it. When Roman knowledge made it's way to the Arabs, this wisdom traveled with it then too. So, despite most of our efforts on the study of inhalers made by man, the first inhalers were probably simple fumigations. (1, page 276)

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Wit and Wisdom

History maketh a young man to be old, without either wrinkles or grey hairs; privileging him with the experience of age, without either the infirmities or inconveniences thereof. Yea, it not only maketh things past, present; but enableth one to make a rational conjecture of things to come. For this world affordeth no new accidents, but in the same sense wherein we call it a new moon, which is the old one in another shape; and yet no other than that hath been formerly. Old actions return again, furbished over with some new and different circumstances. (Thomas Fuller in the Epistle Dedicatory to his The History of the Holy War, March 6th, 1639).

About Me

John Bottrell is a respiratory therapist. He's a featured asthma and COPD writer for asthma.net and copd.net. He's the creator and occasionally writer for Respiratory Therapy Cave, the #1 respiratory therapy blog. He's an avid historian and creator of Asthma History. His blog posts have been featured in various newspapers, such as the Chicago Tribune. He has previously been a featured asthma/COPD writer for Healthcentral.com and asthma writer for Answers.com.